Manchester City risk losing Rodri to Real Madrid.
Martin Zubimendi may have a major impact on the future of the Manchester City no.6, with Zubimendi the focus of intense speculation for the past few transfer windows, and the saga seemingly set to end with a move to Arsenal in the coming weeks.
The transfer leaves Real Madrid scrambling as they look to replace the outgoing Luka Modric, and their next target may be Rodri.
Manchester City braced for interest in Rodri from Real Madrid
Rodri, who is the current Ballon d'Or holder, and ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the best players in the world right now, has featured just once for his club since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament against Arsenal in September.
In the year previous, he won the Premier League and Club World Cup with Manchester City, and was coming off the back of a stellar 2024 European Championship, which he won and was crowned the best player of the tournament.
His contract at Manchester City runs until 2027, and Real Madrid are set to see whether the he will let it run into it's final year.
Diario AS suggest that Real Madrid are willing to wait and see if there is any movement, and should he enter the final year they may make an attempt to sign him for a cut price deal.
Man City may be faced with a similar situation to Liverpool and Trent Alexander-Arnold this season, where it became clear they either had to sell him last summer, or in January, or lose him for free.
According to the report, the situation may depend on the Club World Cup, where Xabi Alonso will take charge of his first Real Madrid matches.
As it stands, Manchester City probably have nothing to worry about. Rodri is recovering from a serious injury, and they will need to ease him back into action before even considering next steps regarding his contract.
However, should his level be far below what we've come to expect of him, selling him next year after the World Cup, when he will be 30 years old, may be the best scenario for all involved.
Warmer weather and a chance to return to his home nation may appeal greatly to Rodri at that stage in his career, and Manchester City may be moving to a post-Pep Guardiola world anyway by then.
